


Underneath the City

by CelticGrace



Category: Mass Effect
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-08-10
Updated: 2015-08-10
Packaged: 2018-04-13 22:49:11
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 579
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4540389
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CelticGrace/pseuds/CelticGrace
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Zaeed and Jacob stranded together in the last moments of the Reaper war.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Underneath the City

**Author's Note:**

> From the ME Fanfiction Writers group on Facebook, a drabble prompt:  
> Prompt: Beneath the City  
> Characters: Jacob / (Zaeed or Liara)
> 
> Mass Effect and all its characters belong to Bioware.

The snap of old floor boards giving way was the only warning Zaeed had before he fell into total darkness.  As he landed seconds later on uneven ground, he heard another sound - a sickening crack - and near-unbearable pain shot through his left leg.

"You all right?" a voice asked from the floor above.  "Sounded like that hurt."

"'Course it bloody hurt," Zaeed snarled.  "Now either get your ass down here or go get some goddamn help!"

The voice scoffed.  "Who am I gonna ask for help, Massani? The brutes?"

Smartass. The mercenary was having trouble remembering why the hell he'd decided to hook up with anyone in this attack on London, much less Jacob Taylor, the idiot who'd walked out on Commander Shepard and broken her heart.  Too late to change his mind now; he was stuck with him for the long haul 'til one or both of them stopped breathing or the commander managed to achieve her mission.

"You got a light down there?" Jacob asked, breaking into Zaeed's thoughts. "Wouldn't do anybody any good if I landed the same way you did."

Moving slowly, Zaeed fished around in the compartments of his armor, finally coming up with a single torch.

"It's weak as piss," he called, shining the light up as part of a rope dropped down beside him.  "But it's all we've got for now."

"I can use my biotics, sparingly, to give a little more light," Jacob said, landing deftly on his feet.  "First things first though, gotta get that leg fixed up."

"And you're gonna do that how?  In case you hadn't noticed, we're not anywhere close to a bloody hospital." Zaeed squinted in the dim light, trying to make out their surroundings.  "Where the hell are we anyway?"

"Judging by the rail you landed on, looks like we're in one of the Underground tunnels that runs beneath most of the city."

"Bloody perfect.  So we're trapped.  These tunnels have been sealed for over a hundred years."

Jacob opened his omni-tool and typed in a command.  "No, looks like Anderson's crew opened up sections of it to make bunkers for the soldiers."

"Uh huh.  And are we in one of those open sections?"

"Um... no."

"I stand by my ‘we're trapped’ then."

"Are you always this pessimistic?"

"Generally, yes.  Are you always this bloody unhelpful?"

Zaeed decided a moment too late that maybe it wasn't wise to antagonize the only person who might be able to help ease his pain, as Jacob shifted his leg much faster than was absolutely necessary.

"Oh I'm sorry, did that hurt?" Jacob asked, doing nothing to hide his sarcasm.

Zaeed gritted his teeth.  "No, not at all.  Felt absolutely fan _tas_ tic.  Bastard."

"If you hold still, I can stabilize your leg enough so you might be able to walk on it.  For a few minutes anyway."

"Then get the hell on with it.  We stay here much longer, we're gonna become Reaper chow and it won't bloody matter."

As Jacob tied off the last of the bandages from their first aid kit, they heard what sounded to Zaeed like the shriek of the damned, multiplied by a million.

And then, above the shrieks and the crashes that accompanied them, they heard... cheering. After awhile, the shrieks and crashes subsided, but the cheering went on.  That could only mean one thing: the war was over.

Now all they had to do was get out of this goddamn tunnel.


End file.
